The Corzine campaign put out this video of Al Gore speaking last Friday night at the NJ Democratic State Conference in Atlantic City:He opened by praising the Governor before moving on to talking about the Republicans. Gore said you cannot separate the cause from the effect, talking about the consequences of the Bush policies. Gore hit Christie for saying he'd reject stimulus funds and supports the same policies that wrecked the economy in this country.
Listen, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and Chris Christie have policies that are not good for this country and they're not good for the State of New Jersey. I heard somebody asked him how does he feel about Bush and Cheney, and their policies now. He said I feel fine.
He then went on to talk about how elections matter, naming all the issues and reasons why they matter.
Speaking at the Democratic State Conference dinner for Governor Corzine last night, Al Gore reminded Democrats just how much elections matter:Calling him the "Real Deal", Gore had this to say about Corzine:
"You have a man who has the knowledge, the experience, the commitment, the compassion and the record of solid accomplishments fighting every single hour of every single day for New Jersey. Let's re-elect Jon Corzine," Gore said as the crowd of 500 cheered.
And Gore also had something for people thinking of going with Chris Daggett:
Gore dismissed the third candidate in the race , independent Chris Daggett, a former Department of Environmental Protection commissioner who has gotten the Sierra Club's endorsement , as having no chance against the better known and better financed candidates.
"You could also throw your vote away and pretend you're not doing it," said Gore. "Let me tell you how that works out."
This coming November we all have an important choice at the polls. This election doesn't just impact New Jersey's families; it affects Democratic and progressive causes all over the country. We are fighting in Washington to make sure that lasting health care reform legislation is ultimately passed and the Republicans have been fighting us every step of the way. If Chris Christie is elected Governor it will only embolden right-wing Republicans to continue to obstruct and derail our ambitious agenda.
Former Vice President Al Gore will speak at the Democratic State Conference in Atlantic City on Friday, Sept. 25, at the dinner honoring Governor Jon Corzine.
The conference is Thursday, Sept. 24 - Saturday, Sept. 26, at Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City.
I think it's wrong for the government to discriminate against people because of that person's sexual orientation.
I think that gay men and women ought to have the same rights as heterosexual men and women, to make contracts, to have hospital visiting rights, to join together in marriage, and I don't understand why it is considered by some people to be a threat to heterosexual marriage to allow it by gays and lesbians.
Three out of four Blue Jersey Radio listeners say that nothing goes better with mid-morning bloody marys than tuning into Blue Jersey BlogTalkRadio every Saturday at 10:30am.
Tomorrow will be an especially gifted-n-talented episode featuring Trenton's best dish, your phone calls and New Jersey's biggest Al Gore fan, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora.
If you're not too hungover from the Nobel prize after after party, then please join us live, Saturday 10:30am. And remember, your phonecalls are the wind beneath our wings. So use it or lose it: (646) 652-2773
Now, if you ever happen to miss a show (horror of horrors!) there's always the ol' BlogTalkRadio page and listen to one of our archived segments, like last week's show.
Better yet - make it easy on yourself, and just Subscribe here and download shows automatically to your iPod:
But remember - only LIVE callers get to hear themselves talk.
The theory presented is that if no major candidate enters the Democratic pool of candidate by November 1, there is going to be a significant amount of buyer's remorse amongst current Clinton supporters as the inevitability question becomes an electability question, which will dramatically shrink the polling gap that currently exists between Clinton and the other candidates, especially Barack Obama and John Edwards and particularly in early primary states.
With so many states voting between the beginning of January and February 5 and each of the front-running candidates having strengths and weaknesses in different states, it is reasonable to believe that if Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina do not produce a clear-cut winner going into the February 5 primaries, no single candidate would win enough delegates to claim the nomination on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention in Denver next summer.
If Reed Gusciora has his way, Vice President Al Gore will be represented by a statewide slate of delegate/alternate candidates on New Jersey's February 5, 2008 Presidential primary election ballot whether he is actively running or not, because there is no reason that NJ's voters shouldn't have the opportunity to vote for Al Gore just because he has his priorities in order and has determined that saving the world from an environmental apocalypse is more important than running for President.
Draft Gore NJ has been launched to recruit supporters of Al Gore to run as Uncommitted delegate/alternate candidates in each of New Jersey's 20 delegate districts, who are committed to voting for Al Gore at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.
While global warming is indeed a global problem, we must take action at the local levels to begin making a real difference to combat climate change. I am proud to say that we are taking some serious and immediate action here in New Jersey.
Last Friday was a great day. A terrific day. It was one of those moments that, as a legislator, you dream of. It's why I got into public service in the first place. And I was so proud to stand beside Governor Corzine as he signed the Global Warming Response Act into law. The fact that this transpired mere minutes after Al Gore spoke about the historic significance of this new legislation made it that much sweeter.
In the glaring absence of a federal policy to address climate change on a national level, it is up to the states to take the lead in reducing global warming-causing emissions before it is too late. Considering New Jersey's high energy demand, the Global Warming Response Act will indeed make a significant difference on a world-wide scale.
I first introduced this legislation over a year ago, and today I am proud to say that New Jersey is establishing the strictest standards in the nation. We might have been second, after California, but our new rules are tougher. Unlike other state measures that mandate reductions by 2020, this groundbreaking legislation requires an 80% reduction of global warming emission levels by 2050. These are the limits scientists say are necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.
(Just added part three (finally!), thus allowing you to view Gore's complete remarks last Friday on the Global Warming Response Act. - promoted by JRB)
Here's part one of Al Gore in New Jersey, mostly talking about Governor Corzine.
And part two where Gore talks about Live Earth, the Global Warming Response Act, and New Jersey.
In part three, Gore talks about New Jersey's role in combating global warming.
Just got home. Wow. Amazing concert from beginning to end. I had a floor seat in the 11th row. There were people I met from all over, from Boston to Albany to Philly, and everywhere in between. I was surprised how far many folks came.
Many of the folks I talked to were there simply for the music - not the message - especially the younger ones. I hope a lot of it did get through.
Al Gore came out to personally introduce Bon Jovi and he mentioned that they were from New Jersey, JBJ didn't mind reminding everyone they were in his home state. I'll tell you, Bon Jovi had the entire stadium on its feet and singing and dancing. He was by far the crowd favorite here. It was pretty intense to see Giants stadium that full and everyone singing at once. The women all whipped out their cell phones and stood on the seats to get pictures and video of JBJ. It was pretty funny. One girl right in front of me had Bon Jovi tatooed across the small of her back.
All day, I actually felt like a little kid who didn't want to miss anything. From KT Tunstall to Al Gore coming out every so often to Roger Waters who was amazing. The huge inflatable pig float with graffiti all over it was a surprise when it floated out from behind the stage.
My favorite part of the show was when Melissa Etheridge just electrified the crowd. She was incredibly moving. She really was trying to wake up the crowd. I think she did.
The sound could have been better for Kanye West. The thumping bass during his set drowned out the orchestra musicians with him.
Most of the under 30 crowd knew all the words to the rap and hip hop songs, but it was at the end of the concert where the older ones - like me, knew all the words to the Police and Pink Floyd songs. There was truly something for every musical taste. Alicia Keys was just beautiful and incredibly intense. John Mayer was fantastic even when he came out again to play the lead on Message in a Bottle - the last song.
There were just no bad acts. The only thing louder than the music was the applause. The applause was actually deafening sometimes. I often turned around to get a view of the crowd because it was pretty intense seeing Giants Stadium that full.
The music started at 2:30 and went on for 8 hours. An unbeleivable show. As a musician, I was just blown away by the talent on stage. I don't think I'll ever see that many excellent performers on one stage again. Truly historic.
Lets pray that the message really gets through. After the show, I admit I was dismayed at how much garbage people left behind, but trash cans were hard to find, probably for safety reasons.
Anyway, that's my report. Gosh, am I tired. Taking the shuttle buses wasn't bad getting to the stadium but they really need to work on the after the show crowd control. Luckily environmentalists are a patient lot, but some folks were ready to punch someone after waiting for an hour and a half to get onto a shuttle bus from Gate A. The crowd control guys in yellow only showed up an hour into the wait. No rhyme or reason to it - just a really long disorganized wait. Anyway, that's why it took me 3 hours to get home after the show. During the show, I was proud to be from NJ, while trying to get on a shuttle bus, I was embarassed.
It cracked me up that folks from NY said that nobody in the rest of the world would know where NJ was - that is how they rationalized having New York plastered all over everything official for sale. No mention of NJ WHATSOEVER. I felt like asking for my money back after I bought a program for 20 bucks. The T-Shirts all say New York on them too. Well at least Sting knew where he was when he said hello to the crowd. And so did Jon Bon Jovi and Zach Braff, and Kevin Bacon. Thanks guys for making this Jersey girl proud.
It was uncanny how much Dave Mathews reminded me of Blue Jersey's very own Jeff Gardner. Tell me you don't think so.
UPDATE: The spin is already beginning with Faux News spewing on the web. IMHO the best article the MSM put out regarding the concert was the Boston Globe http://www.boston.co... They even got the point that New Jersey's Meadowlands was the perfect place to have the event.
With all due respect to Reed Gusciora -- a great friend of Blue Jersey and a great legislator -- Al Gore lost my vote today.
I went to the Live Earth concert site to see what was up, and saw this image:
But there are no Live Earth concerts in New York. And anyone who goes to New York to see a Live Earth concert today is going to be really fricking disappointed because the show will be across the Hudson River in New Jersey!
Anyone who wants to be President of the United States of America -- and Al says he isn't running but isn't ruling it out -- should know the difference between New York and New Jersey. It's a little petty thing, but it's for real.
The fact is that New York isn't good enough to have done a show like this. If New York could have put on the show, they probably would have. But New Jersey was ready with the venue, the crowd, the security and everything.
And New Jersey passed and signed into law a tough emissions bill yesterday -- and Al Gore was there!. In fact, Governor Corzine held off signing the bill until yesterday to do it in concert with the concert, to help Al Gore's effort to get the message out. But that's not good enough to have Al's concert respect our borders for the purposes of an environmental concert.
It seems like every time something great happens in the Garden State our neighbors to the North and West get the credit. But every time something bad happens, it turns New Jersey into a late night joke fest again.
This hurts our tourism, our ability to draw businesses, our economy, our reputation, etc. It's about time that New Jersey be respected as the great state it is.
We've got the shore, the casinos, the Pine Barrens, the Delaware Water Gap, Fort Dix, Bruce Springsteen, the Giants, the Jets, an incredibly high per-capita income, Joan Jett, Round Valley, the Great Swamp, Bruce Willis, Cape May, Albert Einstein, Princeton, Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Edison, etc., etc., etc.
We invented the lightbulb, the telegraph, the telephone, patent leather, the electric motor, the record player, moving pictures, the transistor, the cell phone, the laser, cheez whiz, etc., etc., etc. For
It was in New Jersey that the lost cause of the American revolution turned in 1776 when Washington and his troops routed the Hessians at Trenton then marched up Quaker Road to Princeton and put a hurt on the British. When the Continental Congress had to flee Philadelphia because the PA militia couldn't hold the city, our founders came to New Jersey.
If Al Gore can't respect the Garden State enough to admit that his biggest American show is in Jersey, then he's lost my vote. I'm damned proud to be from New Jersey, and am sick of being called by another state's name.
Al Gore will be in New Jersey tomorrow to join Jon Corzine for the signing of the "Global Warming Response Act." "Vice President Gore has done more than anyone to promote awareness of global warming," said Corzine, "and I thank him for his tremendous leadership and advocacy. I am proud that he will be in New Jersey to witness the signing of this legislation, which places into state law my Executive Order calling for some of the most sweeping reductions in greenhouse emissions in the nation."
Congressman Rothman, a member of the House Science & Technology Committee, attended today's hearing where Al Gore testified before Congress about the dangers of global warming. He spoke with Gore before the hearing and later issued this statement:
"The former Vice President rightly noted that twenty to thirty years from now, our children and their children will ask us what we did to save our planet. I want to answer that I helped pass the kind of stringent and effective limits on greenhouse gas emissions that Vice President Gore spoke about today.
"Al Gore has earned my gratitude not only for his service as Vice President for eight prosperous years, but also for his 16 years as a hardworking, thoughtful, and productive member of the House and Senate. His work on global warming, starting some 30 years ago through his present worldwide efforts on this subject, increases the pressure on Congress to take action now.
"I am proud that the new Democratic Leadership has not turned its back on the 'inconvenient truth' of global warming. House Democrats have already passed legislation to end government subsidies for the oil and gas industries and dramatically increase our investment in the research and development of cleaner, alternative energy resources. I look forward to taking even bigger steps in the future - most importantly, mandatory limits on the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that can be emitted into the atmosphere."
(Seated left to right: Al Gore, box, Steve Rothman)
That was Assemblyman Reed Gusciora speaking about Al Gore. Today, Gusciora announced "he will lead a movement in New Jersey to draft Al Gore" to run for president. PoliticsNJ has the story:
"He didn't vote for the war, didn't apologize for it, and is more seasoned than the rest of 2008 prospect," said Gusciora, a six-term Democrat from Princeton. "Now he has an Oscar and a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. How do you not want this guy running our country?"
Gusciora was the first New Jersey elected official to endorse Howard Dean in 2004 -- almost a year before the state political establishment jumped on board.
Sadly, they don't tell us how many have voted, so it's a little hard to gauge the solidity of the trend, but you can only vote once (yeah, I tried, it wouldn't let me do it again).
The Oscars are over. If Al is going to make a unequivocal statement of his intent not to run, he should do it now. If he doesn't, I think you can safely assume he's at least giving a run some serious thought.
Should active duty soldiers serving abroad have to pay state income taxes? This bill would end taxation of GI's serving overseas. Also read this and decide for yourself!
More Oscar bits and pieces: Cherry Hill native wins big for producing An Inconvenient Truth. Or couse Vice President Gore was a big winner too. What do you think Barack and Hillary are thinking?
I got lucky the over the weekend and responded to a MoveOn.org invitation a few minutes after it was emailed so I was included on the list of people who filled NYU's Tishman Auditorium yesterday.
Here's a snippet that I found of particular interest.
Anyone who believes that the international market for oil is a “free market” is seriously deluded. It has many characteristics of a free market, but it is also subject to periodic manipulation by the small group of nations controlling the largest recoverable reserves, sometimes in concert with companies that have great influence over the global production, refining, and distribution network.
It is extremely important for us to be clear among ourselves that these periodic efforts to manipulate price and supply have not one but two objectives. They naturally seek to maximize profits. But even more significantly, they seek to manipulate our political will.
A link to the full text and to the high quality video is below the fold...
Journalists [and, often, bloggers] are supposed to be watchdogs, so we tend to focus on stories that expose corruption, waste and plain stupidity in government. In New Jersey, there is plenty of that to keep us busy.
But sometimes, the politicians do the right thing. The Arthur Kill is cleaner today for one reason -- because the federal and state governments forced change with heavy-handed regulations
Amen.
Our environment is a treasure that everyone - from liberal democrats to evangelical christians can agree is worth preserving. (Well almost everybody.)
So, smile - go take a swim - and relax. You deserve it. But, don't get too comfortable - our work here is far from done.
